Folding stool.



No. 760,260. PATENTED MAY 17, 1904.

' A. M. SGHULTZ.

FOLDING STOOL.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT 1. 1903.

N0 MODEL.

WITNESSES: INVENTOR .fllmmmm-aflqfiahuug, BY W MW 6; 92

ATTORNEY.

Patented. May 17, 1904.

ALEXANDER M. SCHULTZ, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

FOLDING STOOL.

SPECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 760,260, dated May 1'7, 1904.

Application filed September 1, 1903. Serial No. 171,465. (No model.)

To 00M whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1', ALEXAND ER M. SCHULTZ, a subject of the Czar of Russia, residing at Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented and produced a new and useful Folding Stool; and I do hereby declarethe following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to numerals of reference marked thereon, which form apart of this specification The objects of this invention are to provide a neat and convenient folding stool, to secure great compactness in folding and at the same time afford ample strength when open for use, to secure a simple and inexpensive construction, and to obtain other advantages and results, some of which may be hereinafter referred to in connection with the description of the working parts.

The inventionconsists in the improved folding stool and in thearrangements and combinations of parts of the same, all substantially as will be hereinafter set forth and finally embraced in the clauses of the claim.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in each of the several figures, Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved stool. Fig. 2 shows the frame folded. Fig. 3 is a cross-section upon line :0, Fig. 2; and Fig. 4 illustrates the seat or bottom of the stool in plan.

In said drawings, 1' 1 1 indicate lower legsections of my improved stool, which is preferably three-legged. Each leg-section 1 comprises a piece of metal tubing, which may be at the lower end provided with a shoe 2, of wood or other suitable material. The upper portion of each leg-section is flattened, as at 3, in the radialplane of a center piece 4:, having arms 5, to which said flattened upper ends are hinged. At a lower point the three leg-sections are connected by a light chain 6 or the like to limit their spreading.

To the upper flattened end of each lower leg-section 1 is hinged, at a point below the top of the leg-section, as at 7, an upper legsection 8. Each upper leg-section is formed of sheet metal bent or rolled up into semicylindric cross-sectional shape and is adapted when folded down upon the lower leg-section to receive theilatter into its groove or concavity, as shown very fully and clearly in Figs. 2 and 3. This obviously secures great compactness in folding and at the sametime secures desired strength of the upper leg-sections to resist strain brought upon them, as hereinafter set forth. r

The top of each upper leg-section is transversely slotted, as at 9, to receive a loop 10 upon one corner of the triangular seat or bottom 12 of the stool and which seat or bottom may be of leather, canvas, or any other suitable material known to the art. Although I prefer now tofasten the said seat to the frame of my stool by means of simple wire loops 10, a corner of the seat being passed through one end of the loop and folded back and fastened, as at 13, and the other end being adapted to simply hook into the slots 9, still it is obvious that any other suitable means of detachably securing the corners of the seat 12 to the leg-sections 8 may be employed, if desired.

' To brace the upper leg-sections 8 against the tendency of pressure upon the seat 12 to pull them inward, braces 14 are provided, one in the plane of each leg, as shown. Said braces are each of sheet metal rolled into semicylindric cross-sectional form and adapted in folding the stool to lie compactly upon the leg which it braces, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. At its inner end each brace is flattened vertically and straddles the leg-section 1 and arm 5, with said center piece being pivoted upon the same pin 15 with said parts, and the outer end of the brace has lateral cars 16 16, adapted to be bent over the edges of the leg-section 8 inwardly toward each other, and thus establish a sliding connection. Said ears are also narrow enough to permit a slight rocking movement suflieient to allow the brace and leg to assume with freedom their mutual angular relation when the stool is opened or set up. Stops 17 upon the upper leg-sections 8 serve to abut against the ends of the braces 14 and enable the latter to perform their function.

Obviously the stretching of the seat or bottom 12 into place upon the frame holds the whole device in open or extended position for use, and, on the contrary, when the seat is detached the frame can be readily folded into the position shown in Fig. 2. The flexible seat is preferably then wrapped around the folded frame and a small compact package secured for carrying about.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new is 1. A folding stool comprising lower legsections hinged together, upper leg-sections hinged at their lower ends each to a lower legsection at a point below the hinging thereof to the other lower leg-sections, a seat or bottom adapted to connect the upper ends of said upper leg-sections, and braces each pivoted at one end to a lower leg-sectionat a point above its point of hinging to an upper legsection and extending outward to said upper leg-section. p

'2. A folding stool comprising lower legsections hinged together, upper leg-sections hinged at their lower ends each to a lower legsection at a point below the hinging thereof to'the other lower leg-sections, a seat or bottom adapted to connect the upper endsof said upper leg-sections, and braces each extending from a lower leg-section at a point above its hinging to an upper section but not above its hinging to the other lower leg-sections, tosaid upper leg-section.

3. A folding stoolcomprising lower legsections hinged together at their upper ends, upper leg-sections hinged at their lower ends each to a lower leg-section at a point below its upper end, a seat or bottom connecting the upper ends of said upper leg-sections, andbraces each pivoted at one end to a lower leg-section at a point above its hinging to an upper section and being slidably connected at its other end to said upper section.

4. A folding stool, comprising lower leg sections hinged together at their upper ends, upper leg-sections hinged at their lower ends each to a lower leg-section at a point below its upper end, a seat or bottom connecting the upper ends of said upper leg-sections, and braces pivoted one at the top of each lower leg-section on the same hinge-pin therewith and extending outward and being slidably connected to the upper leg-sections.

5. In a folding stool, the combination of cylindrical lower leg-sections hinged together at their tops, upper leg-sections each hinged at one end to alower leg-section and being of substantially semicircular cross-section and adapted to inclose said lower leg-section when folded, braces also of substantially semicircular cross-section, each hinged at one end to the top of a lower legsection and slidably connected at its other end to the corresponding upper legsection, said braces being adapted, when folded, to lie concentrically against the leg-sections, and a seat adapted to be detachably secured to the upper leg-sections.

6. I The combination with the lower legksections pivoted together at their tops and upper leg-sections each hinged to a lower leg-section near its top and presenting a rounded or cylindric upper surface, of braces substantially semicircular in cross-section and adapted to receive into their concave sides the upper rounded portions of the upper leg-sections, said braces being each hinged at one end to the top of alower leg-section" and having at its other end lateral ears bent over the edges of the corresponding upper leg-section, stops on theupper leg-sections to engage said braces, and a seat or bottom.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this 26th day of August, 1903.

ALEXANDER M. SCHULTZ.

WVitnesses:

RUSSELL M. EVERETT, CHARLES H. PELL. 

